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Friday 19 December 2014

Update: Cudham, Bromley Kent 18th and 19th Century Documents - further 7 documents obtained

Update - Cudham, Bromley Kent 18th and 19th Century Documents a further 7 have been obtained by NWKFHS.


Deeds relating to properties in Cudham, Kent came up for sale during 2014 and concerned that they would be sold and dispersed, an  appeal was launched to raise funds enable the Society to to purchase them. Since then a further 7 documents have been obtained

The appeal was successful and sufficient funds were raised to be able to purchase some 30 Deeds/Indentures ranging in date from the 1720's to the 1850's. 

The Society regards them as an important part of the history of the area, they name individuals and families and the ownership of some of the land from the early 1700's. 

In August 2014 we held an 'Open Day' at the Library where Society members and others had an opportunity to view 23 of the documents.

There is an indexing project being carried out and copies of the Deeds/Indentures are available at the Library for any one to see/use in their research. The originals can be viewed by arrangement with the Society Librarian. The 7 new documents are in the process of being copied.

Further details of the documents including the principle names of individuals can be found at NWKFHS Cudham Documents


Thursday 18 December 2014

Archives, Libraries and Museums are revolting… and asking for support

Archives, Libraries and Museums are revolting… and asking for support 

The Imperial War Museum is displaying empty cases to protest against the Government’s decision to make orphaned works (documents, letters etc) covered by copyright until 2039 as part of the "Free Our History Campaign".

Under the act so called orphan works (where the author has died and no surviving family can be found) are now deemed to be covered by copyright until 2039 even if they are hundreds of years old. The UK is the only EU country to enact this.

To make matters worse the Government is putting into place a Licensing scheme where institutions that wish to display or use such material (including many WWI documents) have to prove in detail they have done everything possible to find the owner of the copyright and to pay a licensing fee as well.

The Government admits that were a newly discovered and unpublished work by Shakespeare found it would not be out of copyright until 2039. Unpublished letters from WWI where the writer had died and no family is known also fall under this act.

CLIP (Charted Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and Libraries and Archives are petitioning to have the copyright to be changed back to the author’s lifetime plus 70 years.

If you support this campaign against this unreasonable decision by the governmenr further details and the on-line petition can be found at Free Our History  

Sunday 3 August 2014

The WWI diaries of the war poet Siegfried Sassoon are published free online for the first time. The Workhouse. Children's Homes and Institutions

The WWI diaries of the war poet Siegfried Sassoon are published free on line for the first time. 

The 23 journals and two notebooks of poetry has been digitised by the Cambridge University Library and can now be read free of charge. This is the first time they have been made available to all.

There are 4,100-pages that describe life in the trenches, including the moment he was shot by a sniper at the Battle of Arras, and his description of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. They also contain pencil or ink sketches, notes on military briefings, and diagrams of the trenches.

The Diaries cover the war years when he was stationed on the Western Front and in Palestine after WWI up to 1927, and from 1931-32.


They can be found at Sasson Diaries Click on any Journal picture on the right of the page which opens the Journal and you can navigate through the pages.

Was one of you Ancestor's in the Workhouse?

You might be interested in The Workhouse  there is an amazing amount of information including photographs/plans and some indexes. The Workhouses include many in Kent such as Dartford, Bromley, Cudham and so forth.

Children's Homes and Institutions:

If your Ancestor or family were in a Children's Home or Institution The Children's Home site is worth looking at. It has many details of the different homes through out the Country including Kent. You can use the search facility to find them, such as the Home for Little Boys at Farningham, and the one at Hextable, Swanley.


Wednesday 30 July 2014

The Lloyd’s of London Captains Registers Index-Free online. LMA Welcomes Your Questions. Exhibition exploring Bexhill on Sea in the First World War for 2014. Tenterden Museum, Kent WWI Exhibition Friday 18th April to Sunday 5th October 2014

The Lloyd’s of London Captains Registers Index has been completed and is available free online.

The LMA’s longest running project (1992-2014) the indexing of the Lloyd’s of London Captains Registers, 1869-1911 has been completed. The Registers give details of the careers of 68,824 captains and/or mates and certificate number on vessels whose voyage details were transmitted to Lloyd's of London. They can give a considerable amount of information about individual captains and their careers.

The indexes give place and date of birth and certificate number. If you wish to see the Registers you can either see them at the London Metropolitan Archives or use their copying service to order them.

The details of the project and how to search the Indexes can be found at Lloyd's Captains Indexes 
an Information leaflet on the Captains Registers can be downloaded (pdf) at Information leaflet no:50


LMA Welcomes Your Questions!

Until November 2014 the LMA are seeking questions about workhouse and poor relief records. LMA receives around 25,000 enquiries a year but most of the answers are only seen by one or two people.


The LMA newsletter readers are to be given a chance to peek inside their email answering service by inviting enquiries on a particular topic. They will publish the most interesting questions and answers in the next newsletter

To find out more about how to submit questions go to LMA Questions If you wish to join the Mailing List details can be found at the bottom of the page at LMA Mailing List

Tenterden Museum, Tenterden, Kent WWI Exhibition Friday 18th April to Sunday 5th October 2014.

Memorabilia from the museum collection to complement a large display of artefacts found on the battlefields of the Somme and Ypres, on loan from a private collector.  There is also detailed information on a fallen soldier from each of the 10 villages surrounding Tenterden and 2 from the town of Tenterden.  The exhibition has many other rarely seen artefacts recovered over the years from the trenches. Tenterden Museum

Temporary exhibition exploring Bexhill on Sea in the First World War for 2014.
Bexhill Museum is holding an Exhibition from Monday 3 February until Sunday 7 December 2014 Exploring Bexhill’s contribution to the Great War, and discovering what life was like for soldiers, nurses, refugees and civilians in the resort, during the war. Bexhill on Sea






Monday 28 July 2014

North West Kent Family History Society on facebook. The Society was represented at the Imperial War Museum preview day

North West Kent Family History Society on facebook:

You can also find the NWKFHS on facebook where you can find out what is happening in the Society and in the Family History world in general. 

The Society was represented at the Imperial War Museum  preview day of the reopening of the Imperial War Museum and the new First World War galleries which officially opens to the public on the 19th July 2014.

Our representatives was impressed with the Exhibition:

It is a very impressive exhibition and apart from the WW1 exhibition on the ground floor it also contains on the:  

First floor WW2 theme of "Family in Wartime" plus war story of "Supplying front line troops in Afghanistan.
"
Second floor "Secret War, Peace and Security 1945 -2014
"
Third Floor "Horrible Histories Spies" and whilst meant for children I found fascinating (not sure what that says about me!) plus art galleries depicting British art of WW1


Forth floor "The Holocaust
"
Fifth floor Lord Ashcroft gallery "Extraordinary Heroes" the largest collection of Victoria and George Cross decorations and tells the stories of 250 people.


A very worthwhile and enjoyable visit which I would recommend".


For more information see the IWM Website



Sunday 27 July 2014

NWKFHS, Cudham, Bromley, Kent, Documents. Society Meetings in August.

NWKFHS, Cudham Documents:

Following a successful Appeal launched by the Society for funds to purchase a number of documents and deeds relating to Cudham, Bromley, Kent the Society was able to purchase some 24 of the documents.


They cover various family names and give details of ownership from circa 1708 until the 1800's. The Society believes that they are an important collection of the history of the area that if possible should be preserved and available to all for research.

The Society Library & Resource Centre has arranged and is organising an open day at Summerhouse Drive on Wednesday 13th August, 2014 to provide Donors and Members the opportunity to see the documents. Details of the documents and the Open Day can be found at NWKFHS Cudham Documents

The documents will remain in Kent and be available for people to see and use them for research. The Society intends to Transcribe and Index the Documents.

Society Meetings in August:

 Bromley Branch: Saturday, 16th August 2014 Chris Jupp The start of World War I.

The main hall, Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1.  There is free parking at the church, access is from College Rd. and from North St. Doors open at 9.45am. Visitors are welcome.

Dartford Branch: Saturday, 2nd August 2014 Graham Bandy Your Country Needs You! From Kitchener's volunteers to conscription in the Great War.

Dartford Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford DA1 2LY. Doors open at 9.45am. Visitors are welcome.

Details can be found at NWKFHS Meetings Please check the Society Website before travelling to any meeting in case of any last minute changes.

Saturday 28 June 2014

Over 1,350 images now on NWKFHS flickr page free to view. Cray Community Festival, Sunday 6th July 2014. The white feather diaries. Folkestone commemorative arch to be unveiled on 4th August 2014

Over 1,350 images now on NWKFHS flickr page free to view.

There are now 1,350 images on the North West Kent Family History Society flickr site. They consists of documents such as Wills, Indentures, Post Cards from the early 1900's, Photographs and other items.

These are documents from the private collections/papers of Members of the Society who have agreed to allow the Society to place them on flickr. They are documents that would not normally be available to the public. As our Members have interests and families throughout the United Kingdom they cover the whole of the UK.

There are various categories broken down into regions, so why not have a look to see if there is something connected to your family history. They can be found at NWKFHS on flickr

Cray Community Festival, Sunday 6th July 2014

The NWKFHS will be at the Cray Community Festival being held at St Mary Cray Recreation Ground, Park Road, BR5 4AS  from 11am - 5pm. There are many activities being held on the day so why not come along and enjoy the day and visit the NWKFHS stand at the same time. 

Further details can be found at Cray Festival

The white feather diaries:

The White Feather Diaries is an online project using extracts from the writings of five Quakers during World War I,  it will serialise the diaries of conscientious objectors. Starts on August 4th 2014. More details can be found at White Feather Diaries


Folkestone commemorative arch to be unveiled on 4th August 2014:

HRH Prince Harry will be at the unveiling of a dramatic arch on the Leas in Folkestone to commemorate the town’s important links to WWI. The stainless arch, designed by Philip Gearing of Foster Gearing, is being erected on the Leas in memory all who passed through the port en route to or from the Western front from 1915 onwards.

Details can be found at Step Short

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Free NWKFHS emailinfoservice. BBC World War One At Home to tour UK. Exhibition - Your Country Calls. Folkestone Town Hall, Folkestone, Kent

Free emailinfoservice to keep you up to date with Society and Family History News.

The emailinfoservice offered by the Society is now open to all. It is a way of receiving up to date Society and other family history news. The service grew out of requests by Members at an AGM and is becoming more popular. There are now nearly 400 members who subscribe. 

If you would like to subscribe send an email to NWKFHS emailinfoservice stating you wish to subscribe.


You can also keep up to date with the Monthly Society Newsletter which can be found at NWKFHS Newsletters where in addition you can download and read Branch Newsletters. 

You can read and download all Society Journal from 1978 - 2008 for Free. They can be found at NWKFHS Journals (All links open in a new window)


Events in Kent.

BBC World War One At Home to tour UK: June 28 1914: Woolwich Great Get Together and Armed Forces Day.

Free event. The day consists of family-friendly events that includes hands-on activities, performances and interactive sessions designed to appeal to all ages. Visitors will be able to meet experts from Imperial War Museums to research their families’ connections to the war. IWM’s major digital centenary project, Lives of the First World War is an integral part of the tour.

More information can be found at BBC World War One and at the First World War Centenary Site (both sites open in a new window)

Exhibition - Your Country Calls: Enlistment to Embarkation. Folkestone Town Hall, 1-2 Guildhall Street, Folkestone, England, CT20 1DY:  24 June 2014 - 01 May 2015

The exhibition included items from the National Army Museum along with local artifacts and stories to explore how Folkestone became a gateway between Britain and the rest of Europe.

'Your Country Calls: Enlistment To Embarkation is in partnership with the National Army Museum, Step Short and Folkestone Town Council. There are accompanying talks, object handling sessions and live performances which explore how the First World War changed the world.


More details can be found at FolkestoneExhibition (opens in a new window)


Monday 16 June 2014

NWKFHS Drop-in, Mottingham, Kent Library. 28 June 2014 at 10:00–16:00. Free downloadable WWI Guide. Change of Speaker for the Dartford Branch Meeting on 6th September 2014. Marriage Certificate Petition. Manorial Documents Conference – Saturday 12 July 2014, Chelmsford, Essex.

NWKFHS Free Drop-in, Mottingham, Kent Library. 28 June 2014 at 10:00–16:00.

North West Kent Family History Society is hosting a Free drop-in session at Mottingham, Kent Library. It is open to all so if you have hit a brick wall or perhaps researching your WW1 ancestors? Why not pop in to Mottingham library and see if we can help you.

You do not need to book just come along 28 June 2014 between 10:00–16:00

Mottingham Library (Facebook) 31 Mottingham Road, SE9 4QZ London, United Kingdom

Researching your WWI family? NWKFHS has a Free downoadable guide to WWI resources on the Internet.

This Free 13 page Guide (pdf) can be down loaded from NWKFHS WWI Centenary Page

Change of Speaker for the Dartford Branch Meeting on 6th September 2014.

Mr. Peter Daniel was due to give a talk on A history of Crayford's famous textile printers. Due to unavoidable circumstances this has had to be changed. Mr Colin Brown has kindly agreed to take his place on 6 September to speak about Ordnance Survey Ancient and Modern: A history of Ordnance Survey.

Details about the Branch can be found at Dartford Branch Meetings


There is a petition to have the name of the mother included in English and Welsh Marriage Certificates.
This has long been the case in Marriage Certificates in Scotland and Northern Ireland where both parents are named. How much easier our research would be had this been the case in the past in England and Wales. So far over 60,000 people have signed.

Signing the petition will help future family historians and recognise that the mother should be named and recognised.

If you would like to support this the petition can be found at Marriage Certificate Petition 


Manorial Documents Conference – Saturday 12 July 2014, Chelmsford, Essex.

Essex Records Office is holding a Conference:  Essex Through The Ages: Tracing The Past Using Manorial Documents. Saturday 12 July, 10.30am-3.30pm. Full details can be found at Essex Records Office You need to Book and there is a fee (£15 which includes Lunch).


Monday 31 March 2014

Free downloadable guide to WWI research. NWKFHS Flickr items have have grown to over 1,000. Children of the Great War Free Open day Wednesday 9th April 2004 11 - 4 pm Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice

With apologies for the hiatus in posting last month:

Free down loadable guide to WWI research: NWKFHS has a free guide to WWI research that can be downloaded (pdf) from its World War I Centenary web page at WW I Centenary

You can also find details of WWI related talks being held during the year and the progress of the War Graves Project.

NWKFHS Flickr items have have grown to over 1,000. Documents, photographs, Post Cards e.t.c. some from the 18th century. There are also documents, photographs and other items connected with WWI. 

Many  that are held in the private collections and papers of Members that would not normally be easily accessible to others and cover the whole country, not just Kent. We would like to thank Members who have made them available to the Society to be used for the benefit of all.

They are divided into areas e.g. Kent 18th - 20th Century, WWI Military, North East England, Scotland and so forth. NWKFHS Flickr 

Children of the Great War Free Open day Wednesday 9th April 2014 11 - 4 pm Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice, 185 Bostall Hill, Abbey Wood SE2 0GB. Booking essential email Booking


Saturday 15 February 2014

NWKFHS Free to read/download Guide to WWI websites. NWKFHS meetings. Britain Remembers: The First World War Project Map.

NWKFHS Free to read/download Guide to WWI websites:


The North West Kent Family History Society Publications and Projects team along with Publicity have produced a guide to World War Websites and other useful information. It is freely available to anyone who wishes to use it to help with their research. It will be updated from time to time.

It can be read/downloaded at NWKFHS WWI Guide where you can also find other information about what the Society is doing to mark the Centenary of the start of WWI.

NWKFHS meetings:

Bromley Branch located at Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3NS. Open at 9.45am. Visitors are welcome to come along.


21st  February 2014:  Paul Blake World War I Military Records.

Dartford Branch located at Dartford Science & Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford DA1 2LY. Open at 9.45am. Visitors are welcome.

1st March 2014: Scott Belcher  The Historic Dockyard, Chatham

Sevenoaks Branch located at Sevenoaks Community Centre, Otford Road, Sevenoaks, TN14 5DN. Meetings start 8.00pm. Visitors are welcome.


13th March 2014:  Denise Baldwin & Kathy Hardy The Life of Douglas Macmillan

Please check the Society website at NWKFHS for any changes before travelling. Visitors are welcome at Society meetings, a donation is appreciated.


Britain Remembers: The First World War Project Map:

Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine? have created a central map where people can list and find out about projects near them or where their ancestors lived. First World War Project Map

The site states that During the centenary of the First World War, thousands of volunteers across the country will be working on different ways to remember those who lived, worked and fought during 1914-1918. There are hundreds of projects already in progress – some big, some small, but all deserving recognition.

WDYTYA will be Publicising new additions to the map in the magazine, in their Weekly Newsletter on Facebook and Twitter throughout the next four years.

Friday 7 February 2014

Free ebook about Gravesend and Northfleet: Chalk Pits & Cherry Stones. Archives for London and Poet in the City: Through the Door. The National Archives of Wales has announced the release of 27 publications titles (200,000 pages) from the Library’s collection.

Free ebook about Gravesend and Northfleet: Chalk Pits & Cherry Stones by Jean Hendy-Harris:  A memoir about growing up in an industrialized riverside area of North Kent, Gravesend and Northfleet in the nineteen forties and fifties.

Details and download can be found at Smashwords ebooks

Archives for London and Poet in the City have announced the launch of a brand new project commissioning poetry out of the archives Through the Door. Through the Door, funded by Arts Council England.A new collaboration between Archives for London and Poet in the City. A project, funded by Arts Council England, will commission poetry inspired by archive sources found in London's archives.

The National Archives of Wales has announced the release of 27 publications titles (200,000 pages) from the Library’s collection.  This brings the total available to 630,000 pages from almost 100 newspaper publications from the National Library’s collection, and this will grow to over 1 million pages as more publications are added during 2014. A Valuable free resource to Family Historians, Local Historians and many others. National Archive of Wales


Tuesday 28 January 2014

Free search and download of the records of Middlesex military service appeal tribunal for 1916-1918. Family History in Kent. Bexley Historical Society Talk. Folkestone and District FHS

Middlesex military service appeal tribunal for 1916-1918 Free search and download of records:

Some 8000 digitised records of the Middlesex Appeal Tribunal, which heard the cases of men seeking exemption can be searched and downloaded free at at the National Archives site.
The digitisation of this collection is supported by The Friends of The National Archives and Federation of Family History Societies
These records cover appeals heard by the Middlesex Appeal Tribunal and the Central Appeal Tribunal only. Most tribunal records were destroyed by government order.  Some local Record Offices also hold some records of Local Appeal Tribunals, though not complete. Local Newspapers of the period also contained reports of the Tribunals. 

Other Events and Websites around Kent:

Family History in Kent:  Indexing all the old birth registers held at Medway Register Office.  There is a partial list of the various marriage register codes that can be downloaded (pdf) and a lot of other useful information.

Bexley Historical Society Talk:  Monday 10 February 2014: Short AGM, followed by The History of Bexley's Buses, Trams and Trolleybuses, by Richard Diment

7.45pm for 8pm start, the hall of St John Fisher RC Church, Thanet Road, Bexley Kent DA5 1AP. Visitors are very welcome and the fee is £2.50 per meeting.

Folkestone and District FHS: 6th February  2014 “The Cinque Ports”  -  Clive Wire, ex Mayor of New Romney & Speaker of the Cinque Port, will talk a little about that role, and show a DVD commissioned by High Sheriff of Kent on history of the Cinque Ports, narrated by David Starkey. 

Meetings are held at the United Reformed Church Community Hall, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone.  7.15 pm and the talks are scheduled to commence at 7.30 pm. Visitors welcome a donation of £2 is required.

Saturday 18 January 2014

NWKFHS WWI Projects: The War Graves Project. 1921 Census e-petition. Available free to search, The National Archives have digitised around 1.5 million pages of WWI war diaries with more to follow.

1921 Census e-petition:

An e–petition has been created by Gareth Farrell to request the Cabinet Office to amend the 1920 Census Act to make the publication of the census data exempt from the 100 year rule such that the 1921 census data can be published now. The petition points out that the 1931 census was destroyed and the 1941 census was never taken. If you would like to support the petition you can find it on the HM Government website

Available free to search, The National Archives have digitised around 1.5 million pages of WWI war diaries with more to follow and Crowd Sourcing Project:

The National Archives have digitised around 1.5 million pages of war diaries  and more will be released throughout this year as part of First World War 100, the National Archives centenary programme. 

This will allow researchers around the world to access the diaries, and has given us the opportunity to embark on a hugely exciting crowd sourcing project, Operation War Diary. This project asks for help to  classify the type of page and then tag key data from which will be created a detailed index to the people who appear in the pages. More information and for searches British Army War Diaries

NWKFHS WWI Projects: 

The War Graves Project: NWKFHS volunteers have been retaking photographs of War Graves at Cemeteries within our area which will be used to update the photographs on the War Graves Photographic Project which is a joint venture with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and assisting the Office of Australian War Graves, Canadian Veterans Affairs and the New Zealand Ministry of Heritage and Culture.

So far some 1,500 photographs have been taken and uploaded by the Society to the War Graves Photographic Project. In addition our volunteers have been identifying civilian WWI graves, family stones and resolving any problems that arise in information and details. 

The Society wishes to thank the various Churches and people who have helped with information and details and the volunteers are are giving so much time to this project.

WWI Graves in the following Churchyards/cemeteries have been rephotographed:

Ash & New Ash Green St Peter & St Paul Churchyard
Bexley St Mary’s Church
Bexleyheath Cemetery
Bidborough St Lawrence Churchyard
Biggin Hill Cemetery
Brasted St Martin Churchyard
Chelsfield St Martin of Tour Churchyard
Chevening Burial Ground
Chevening St Botolph
Cobham St Mary Magdalene New Churchyard
Darenth St Margaret of Antioch R.C. Churchyard
Dartford East Hill Cemetery
Dartford Watling Street Cemetery
Dartford Stone Cemetery
Dartford Joyce Green Hospital Cemetery
Erith Brook Street Cemetery
Erith St John the Baptist Churchyard
Eynsford Baptist Chapelyard
Eynsford St Martin Churchyard
Fawkham St Mary Churchyard
Footscray All Saints
French Street Private Burial Ground
Halstead St Margaret Churchyard
Hayes St
May the Virgin Churchyard
Hartley All Saints Churchyard
Higham St Mary Churchyard
Horton Kirby St Mary New Churchyard
Ide Hill St Mary Churchyard
Ifield St Margaret Churchyard, Cobham
Ightham St Peter Churchyard
Kemsing St
Mary Churchyard
Keston Parish Churchyard
Lamberhurst St Mary the Virgin Churchyard
Larkfield Holy Trinity
Longfield St Mary Magdalene
Meopham St John Churchyard
North Cray St James Additional Churchyard
Northfleet Cemetery
Nurstead St Mildred Churchyard
Orpington All Saints Chuchyard Extension
Orpington All Saints Churchyard
Otford St Bartholomew Churchyard
Paddock Wood St Andrew old Churchyard
Penshurst St John the Baptist Churchyard
Plaxtol Churchyard
Ridley St Peter Churchyard
Riverhead St Mary Churchyard
Shoreham St Peter & St Paul Churchyard
Sidcup Cemetery
Sidcup St John’s
Southfleet St Nicholas Churchyard
St Mary Cray, Star Lane Cemetery
St Paul's Cray, St Paulinus Churchyard
Stansted St Mary Churchyard
Sutton-at-Hone Burial Ground:
Swanley St Mary Churchyard
Swanley St Paul Churchyard
Swanscombe Cemetery
West Kingsdown (St. Edmund the King & Martyr) Churchyard (also known as The Church in the Woods)
West Wickham St John the Baptist Churchyard
Wrotham St George Churchyard Extension

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Free Talks at Greenwich Heritage Centre, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. NWKFHS talks for February 2014. Some new NWKFHS Publications.

Greenwich Heritage Centre, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is hosting a new and free programme of talks on history developed in conjunction with historians from the University of Greenwich. 

The first talk is on Wednesday 22nd January 2014 where Dr Emma Hanna will deliver ‘”Whatever cheers the warrior helps to win the war” – Concert Parties and the British Army on the Western Front, 1914-18.’

All talks start at 6:30pm on Wednesday evenings. They are free and do not require booking, just turn up. Drinks and other refreshments will be available. Greenwich Heritage Centre

Other talks will be

Wednesday 5 March 2014
‘Northern Nature and Exploratory Science c. 1790-1830’ -  Dr Angela Byrne

Wednesday 30 April 2014
‘Sights and sounds of the Medway Towns, 1550-1900’ - Dr Sandra Dunster

Wednesday 28 May 2014
‘“Lifting the Veil”: Military expeditions and the performance of power on the Imperial frontier’ - Dr Gavin Rand

Wednesday 25 June 2014
Working for Victory: The work of the Women’s Voluntary Service

(WVS) during the Second World War- Dr June Balshaw

NWKFHS talks for February 2014.

Bromley Branch: Main hall, Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3NS. Free parking at the church. The hall opens at 9.45am, the meeting proper starts at 10.30am, ending by 12.15pm.

15 Feb. 2014. Peter Christian Maps on-line for the family historian

Dartford Branch: Dartford Technology College, Heath Lane, Dartford DA1 2LY. Open from 9.45am with the meeting proper starting at 10.30am, ending by 12.30pm.

1 Feb. 2014. John Meakins Kent Fire Brigade. Please note this is a change of speaker from that originally advertised. 

Sevenoaks Branch: Sevenoaks Community Centre, Otford Road, Sevenoaks, TN14 5DN.  Doors open at 7.15pm, meetings start 8.00pm, ending by 9.30pm.

13 Feb 2014.  Ian Walker Old Sevenoaks - The Pavement Plaque People

Visitors are welcome at all Branch Meetings. In addition to the talks, there is a bookstall, continuing projects and all the helpful advice that you might need. Please check the Society Website for further information and any changes to talks before you travel.

Some new NWKFHS Publications:

The Society is always involved in projects and new publications are periodically produced. Some recent ones are:

Stone St Mary the Virgin: Baptisms 1718-1955 - CD52
The disc consists of 9759 entries with a transcript and index. This complements the marriages and burials already completed last year - CD41 Burials 1718-1963 and CD42 Marriages 1722-1955; each of these discs contains over 3000 records.

Stone Cemetery Dartford & Stone St Mary Churchyard CD-MI 5 (2ndEdition) £5:
Disc includes transcripts of monumental inscriptions and an alphabetical surname index. Stone Cemetery was completed earlier in the year but not widely publicised as we were awaiting Monumental Inscriptions from Stone St Mary church. This complements burials for the area for which we are grateful.

Gravesend Cemetery Burial Registers 1902-1983 – CD53 £10:
Transcripts of Burial Indexes (approx 30,000 burials).  This complements CD27 £10 which covers 1839-1901

Details on these and other publications and how to order can be found at NWKFHS Publications